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How This Calculator Works
Your electricity cost is your monthly usage in kilowatt-hours (kWh) multiplied by your price
per kWh, plus any flat monthly service charge your utility bills regardless of usage. Enter
your monthly usage and rate — both are printed on a recent utility bill — and this calculator
estimates your monthly and yearly electricity cost.
Usage-based cost is the part that changes with how much electricity you actually use. The fixed
service charge (sometimes called a “customer charge” or “basic service fee”) is a flat amount
some utilities bill every month on top of usage, covering the cost of maintaining the connection
to your home regardless of how much power you draw.
The Formula
Energy Cost=Monthly Usage (kWh)×Rate per kWhTotal Monthly Bill=Energy Cost+Fixed Monthly Service FeeEstimated Annual Cost=Total Monthly Bill×12
The annual figure is a simple 12-month projection at this month’s usage and rate — it doesn’t
adjust for seasonal usage swings (like summer air conditioning or winter heating) or future rate
changes, unlike the Solar Savings Calculator’s multi-year projection, which does model rate
inflation over time.
Worked Example
900 kWh of usage at $0.15/kWh, with a $10 flat monthly service fee:
Energy cost: 900 × $0.15 = $135.
Total monthly bill: $135 + $10 = $145.
Estimated annual cost: $145 × 12 = $1,740.
If you’re evaluating whether solar panels would be worth it, this monthly bill total is exactly
the number the Solar Savings Calculator needs as its starting point.
Cómo funciona esta calculadora
Tu costo de electricidad es tu consumo mensual en kilovatios-hora (kWh) multiplicado por tu
precio por kWh, más cualquier cargo fijo mensual de servicio que tu compañía eléctrica cobre sin
importar el consumo. Ingresa tu consumo mensual y tu tarifa — ambos aparecen en una factura
reciente de tu compañía eléctrica — y esta calculadora estima tu costo de electricidad mensual y
anual.
El costo basado en el consumo es la parte que cambia según cuánta electricidad realmente uses. El
cargo fijo de servicio (a veces llamado “cargo por cliente” o “tarifa básica de servicio”) es un
monto fijo que algunas compañías eléctricas cobran cada mes además del consumo, para cubrir el
costo de mantener la conexión a tu hogar sin importar cuánta energía utilices.
La fórmula
Costo de energıˊa=Consumo mensual (kWh)×Tarifa por kWhFactura mensual total=Costo de energıˊa+Cargo fijo mensual de servicioCosto anual estimado=Factura mensual total×12
La cifra anual es una simple proyección de 12 meses al consumo y tarifa de este mes — no se ajusta
por variaciones estacionales de consumo (como el aire acondicionado en verano o la calefacción en
invierno) ni por futuros cambios de tarifa, a diferencia de la proyección plurianual de la
Calculadora de Ahorro con Paneles Solares, que sí modela la inflación de la tarifa a lo largo del
tiempo.
Ejemplo resuelto
900 kWh de consumo a $0.15/kWh, con un cargo fijo mensual de servicio de $10:
Costo de energía: 900 × $0.15 = $135.
Factura mensual total: $135 + $10 = $145.
Costo anual estimado: $145 × 12 = $1,740.
Si estás evaluando si vale la pena instalar paneles solares, esta factura mensual total es
exactamente el número que la Calculadora de Ahorro con Paneles Solares necesita como punto de
partida.
Where do I find my usage in kWh and my rate per kWh?
Both are printed on a recent utility bill — usually labeled "usage" or "kWh used" and a per-kWh rate or price. If your bill only shows a total and a usage number, divide the energy portion of the total by the usage to get an average rate.
Why doesn't this calculator include tiered or time-of-use rates?
Many utilities charge different rates depending on how much you use (tiered pricing) or when you use it (time-of-use pricing), and these structures vary enormously by utility and region. Enter your average rate for a straightforward estimate — for a bill with multiple tiers, divide your total energy charge by your total usage to get that average.
What's the fixed monthly service fee for?
Many utilities bill a flat "customer charge" or "basic service fee" every month regardless of usage, covering the cost of maintaining your connection. Not every utility bills one separately — leave it at $0 if yours doesn't.
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